Package for uniformly shaped chip type snack food products

ABSTRACT

Snack food product chips of uniform shape and size are nested one within another in closely fitting relationship preferably in the form of a circular or loop array. The nested chips are supported on edge and placed within a preformed container, for example, having a bowl shape. The bowl shape may conform to the outside curvature and bottom configuration of the circular array. A cover is applied to the top of the bowl to seal the same.

United States Patent Beall Dec. 3, 1974 [54] PACKAGE FOR UNIFORMLYSHAPED 3,064,872 11/1962 Skirow 206/ R X CHIP TYPE SNACK FOOD PRODUCTS3,128,030 4/1964 Davies 99/171 CT UX 3,212,907 10/1965 Caprioli 99/171CT Inventor: Nelson J. Beall, Albertville, Minn. 3,498,798 3 1970 Bauret al 99/100 P x Assigneez General Mills, Minneapolis 3,740,238 6/1973Graham 99/171 CT Minn.

[22] Filed, 19, 1973 Primary ExaminerFrank W. Lutter AssistantExaminer-Steven L. Weinstein PP 352,811 Attorney, Agent, or FirmAnthonyA. Juettner; Gene Related US Application Data 0. Enockson; Norman P.Friederichs [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 159,89l, July 6,

1971, abandoned.

[57] ABSTRACT [52] US. Cl 426/106, 206/303, 229/25,

426/115, 426/145 Snack food product chips of uniform shape and size 51Int. Cl. B65b 23/00 are nested one Within another in Closely fittingrela- [58] Field of Search 99/171 C, 171 CT, 171 TC, tionship preferablyin the form of a circular or loop 99/171 Mp 171 LM, 171 R 100 P; 20 5array. The nested chips are supported on edge and K, 65 R 45, 34, 303,304; 1/99 11, 1; 9/193; placed within a preformed container, forexample, 426/106 110 112, 115, 119, 121, 145, 392, having'a bowl shape.The bowl shape may conform to 394 41 1 413; 229/25 the outside curvatureand bottom configuration of the circular array. A cover is applied tothe top of the [56] References Cited bowl to seal the same.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 2,660,529 11/1953Bloom 99/171 R PATENTEL BEE 31974 3. 852,48 5- IN VENTOR. 4/545 0 7:3541! A rroxwe'y PACKAGE FOR UNIFORMLY SHAPED CHIP TYPE SNACK FOODPRODUCTS bags.

Another possible package for chip-type snack food products involvesvertically stacking the chips one upon the other to form a straightcolumn and placing such column within a substantially rigid, tubularcontainer. The tubular container may be sealed closed by securing endsthereto. It has been found that when such a container is dropped down onone of such ends that the chips nearest such end break. Broken chips donot normally meet with consumer acceptance.

Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide aprotective package for uniformly shaped, fragile chip-type snack foodproducts which package will prevent breakage of such items while inshipment and handling. It has been found that chip breakage is reducedwhen the chips are supported on their edges.

In other words, the chips are disposed with their major surfacesperpendicular to the bottom of the container. The chip breakage is evenfurther reduced when the chips are nested in a loop array.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description in which certain preferred embodiments of theinvention are dis closed. In the drawings which form a part of thisapplication:

FIG. I is an elevational view of a package according to the presentinvention partially broken away to show the arrangement of the contentswithin the container;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the package shown in FIG. 1 takenalong the line 22;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the package shown in FIG. 1 with the top of thepackage removed;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one form of chip which may be containedin the package shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the chip shown in FIG. 4 taken alongthe line 5-5.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a container having abottom 12 of circular shape, an upstanding side wall 14, and anoutwardly extending top flange 16. The bottom 12 has a raised portion 18and a curved portion 20. The side walls 14 and curved portion 20 aredesigned to conform to the outside curvature and bottom configuration,respectively, of the chip-type snack food product 22 to be packagedtherein.

The outwardly extending top flange 16 is adapted to hold a cover 24 inplace across the top of the container 10. The cover 24 is snugly fitover the flange 16 by means of a downwardly extending lip 26. Thecontainer 10 and cover 24 can be constructed of any material that can beformed, such as metal, plastic, paper, or combination thereof, and whichare sufficiently strong and rigid to withstand handling and shippingloads. Drawn aluminum has been used to make a container 10 whilepressboard lined with aluminum foil has been used to make a cover 24.

The cover 24 may also be secured to the flange 16 by gluing, heatsealing or other adhesive means.

It is an essential element of the present invention that the products tobe packaged are thin and substantially uniform on both shape and size sothey can be nested one within the other to form a loop, preferably, aclosed loop. Preferably this closed loop is in the form of a circulararray. Non-uniform products cannot be effectively nested in a closedloop and thus must be randomly distributed within the package. Such anapproach results in a package which permits the products to be moreeasily damaged in handling. The uniformity of the products of thepresent invention extends to the size of the products as well as thegeneral shape and surface curvature.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a type of uniform product which can besuccessfully packaged according to the present invention. The product 28preferably has an upper curved major surface 30 and a lower curved majorsurface 32. These surfaces 30 and 32 are formed from single curves.Alternatively, the products could have upper and lower major surfacescurved in each of two orthogonal planes. While many shaped variationswithin this framework are possible, it is desirable in the marketing ofpotato chips or similar products to use the general shape in which suchchips are presently marketed since that is a form with which customersare familiar.

Although it is possible to use uniform products having a planardisc-type shape, it is preferred that the products used in practicingthe present invention be non-planar in shape. This permits some degreeof interfitting of adjacent chips.

The products illustrated for use with the present invention arenon-planar shaped. They are first formed into the desired curved shape.This permits nesting one within another to permit forming them in aclosed loop as readily seen in FIG. 3. In the circular array of theproducts as shown in FIG. 3, the products are nested one within anotherwith their corresponding surfaces similarly oriented. Each of the chipshas major surfaces positioned in abutting relationship with majorsurfaces of adjacent chips. They are then placed in a substantiallyrigid container which is adapted to enclose this loop array. After beingplaced into such a container, it is sealed closed by securing the coverto the flange thereof. The products can be conveniently removed from thecontainer after removing the cover therefrom either individually, inbatches of two. or more, or by inverting the container and therebypermit the entire looped array to be placed on a surface as a loopedarray.

The present invention is applicable to packaging, numerous chip-typesnack food products which are uniform in size and shape so they can benested one within another to form a loop array. Specifically, it can beused with chips made from thin slices of raw potato. Alternatively, itcan be used with chips which are made from a formulated, potato-baseddough which is rolled into sheets having a thickness of from about 0.009inch to about 0.30 inch, preferably, about 0.020 to 0.10 inch, typically0.050 inch and from which substantially equal shaped sections are cutand fried.

ied widely as long as the particular size and shape of a given productplaced in a single package are all uniform. The chips may be nested andsupported on edge in a horizontal column.

In view of the principles set forth herein, some of the specific ways ofcarrying out the present invention have been shown and other equivalentsare suggested by the disclosures.

I claim: l. A package of uniformly shaped chip-type snack food products,said package comprising a plurality of a M chips of substantiallyuniform shape, size, and thickness, each of said chips having majorsurfaces curved in at least one plane, each of said chips being nestedwith adjacent chips and having its major surfaces thereof positioned inabutting relationship with major surfaces of other of said chips inintelocking effect to provide a closed loop array having outer and lowerexterior edges, a substantially rigid bowl shaped container having aside wall and a bottom wall, said side wall conforming to at least thelower portion of the outer exterior edges of said closed loop array ofsaid chips adjacent thereto, said bottom wall having a portion thereofconforming with at least a portion of the lower edges of said closedloop array, said bottom wall further having means defining a raisedportion for holding said chips in said closed loop array and a coversecured along the upper edge of said side wall.

2. The package of claim 1 wherein said closed loop array is a circulararray and said bottom wall is circular.

3. A package of uniformly shaped chip-type snack food products, saidpackage comprising a plurality of chips of substantially uniform shape,size and thickness, each of said chips having major surfaces curved inat least one plane, each of said chips being nested with adjacent chipsand having at least one of its major surfaces thereof positioned inabutting relationship with major surfaces of other of said chips ininterlocking effect to provide a loop array having outer and lowerexterior edges, a substantially rigid bowl shaped container having aside wall and a bottom wall, said side wall conforming to at least thelower portion of the outer exterior edges of said loop array of saidchips adjacent thereto, said bottom wall having a portion thereofconforming with at least a portion of the lower edges of said looparray, said bottom wall further having means defining a raised portionfor holding said chips in said loop array and a cover secured along theupper edge of saidside wall.

4. The package of claim 3 wherein said loop array is i a closed looparray.

5. The package of claim 4 wherein said closed loop

1. A PACKAGE OF UNIFORMLY SHAPED CHIP-TYPE SNACK FOOD PRODUCTS, SAIDPACKAGE COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF CHIPS OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM SHAPE,SIZE, AND THICKNESS, EACH OF SAID CHIPS HAVING MAJOR SURFACES CURVED INAT LEAST ONE PLANE, EACH OF SAID CHIPS BEING NESTED WITH ADJACENT CHIPSAND HAVING ITS MAJOR SURFACES THEREOF POSITIONED IN ABUTTINGRELATIONSHIP WITH MAJOR SURFACES OF OTHER OF SAID CHIPS IN INTELOCKINGEFFECT TO PROVIDE A CLOSED LOOP ARRAY HAVING OUTER AND LOWER EXTERIOREDGES, A SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID BLOWL SHAPED CONTAINER HAVING A SIDE WALLAND A BOTTOM WALL, SAID SIDE WALL CONFORMING TO AT LEAST THE LOWERPORTION OF THE OUTER EXTERIOR EDGES OF SAID CLOSED LOOP ARRAY OF SAIDCHIPS ADJACENT THERETO, SAID BOTTOM WALL HAVING A PORTION THEREOFCONFORMING WITH AT LEAST A PORTION O THE LOWER EDGES OF SAID CLOSED LOOPARRAY, SAID BOTTOM WALL FURTHER HAVING MEANS DEFINING A RAISED PORTIONFOR HOLDING SAID CHIPS IN SAID CLOSED LOOP ARRAY AND A COVER SECUREDALONG THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID SIDE WALL.
 2. The package of claim 1wherein said closed loop array is a circular array and said bottom wallis circular.
 3. A package of uniformly shaped chip-type snack foodproducts, said package comprising a plurality of chips of substantiallyuniform shape, size and thickness, each of said chips having majorsurfaces curved in at least one plane, each of said chips being nestedwith adjacent chips and having at least one of its major surfacesthereof positioned in abutting relationship with major surfaces of otherof said chips in interlocking effect to provide a loop array havingouter and lower exterior edges, a substantially rigid bowl shapedcontainer having a side wall and a bottom wall, said side wallconforming to at least the lower portion of the outer exterior edges ofsaid loop array of said chips adjacent thereto, said bottom wall havinga portion thereof conforming with at least a portion of the lower edgesof said loop array, said bottom wall further having means defining araised portion for holding said chips in said loop array and a coversecured along the upper edge of said side wall.
 4. The package of claim3 wherein said loop array is a closed loop array.
 5. The package ofclaim 4 wherein said closed loop array is a circular array and saidbottom wall is circular.